By Robert Wilkinson
Since we all are life-long learners, this series is for you! Have you ever wondered why you prefer to learn certain things certain ways, and why you did better with certain teachers and not others? Ever wondered why sometimes others get what you’re saying while other times they don’t? All of it is explained in the different learning and teaching styles.
It is well established that there are many ways to learn what we need to learn. What works for one person at one time may not work for them at another time, and may not work for others at all. Each of us is a unique quality of factors which indicate our preferred learning style(s), where we learn what we need to learn in the way most natural for us.
Theories of Meta-Learning Styles
In the field of education, there are many different theories related to learning styles. We are told that in general, we have three primary ways to learn: Auditory, involving hearing; Visual, involving seeing; and Kinesthetic, or Tactile, involving movement, touch, and feeling. This is called the VAK model.
According to experts, Visual learners are into pictures, shapes, the “sculpture” or “painting” of a thing. Kinesthetic/tactile learners are into gestures, body movements, manipulating objects, and positioning things. Auditory learners are into listening, rhythms, tones, and the “cadence” of a thing. Research indicates any of these can be dominant, or work with one or both of the other modes.
Sometimes the dominant one changes over time, integrating with another mode to create a synthesized learning style. The dominant learning mode may or may not have anything to do with preference, since we can grow in strength in things that are not our natural preference, and prefer things that do not grow in strength over time.
Another model known as VARK incorporated NLP research and came up with a fourth sensory learning modality, adding Social learning to Visual, Auditory, and Physical learning. This model also offers that Visual learners prefer graphs, charts, diagrams, symbols, and other visual depictions to words, while the Auditory group prefers listening to lectures, tapes, and discussions. Tactile learners prefer hands-on learning, such as experimentation, moving objects, doing projects, and exploring how things happen and how they are done. Again, it’s not like these operate in isolation from the other modes, but it seems we all prefer one, and use it as our primary learning mode while incorporating the others when we need to.
Astrologically, these four meta-cognitive modes of learning seem to naturally fit what we know of the quality of the four elements in Astrology. Social learning seems naturally to fit the quality of Air, with its associative and interactive nature. Physical learning seems naturally to fit the quality of Earth, with its grounding and practical, organizational nature. Auditory learning seems naturally to fit the quality of Water, since to hear is to feel the impact of sounds on the ear, and the impact of ideas on the inner voice which evaluates those signals. Visual learning seems naturally to fit the quality of Fire, since fire lights up the skies and makes everything visually clear.
The Seven Different Types of Learning Styles
These three or four metacognitive learning styles are said to break down into 7 natural learning styles. Sources list them as Visual (spatial) , Aural (auditory-musical), Verbal (linguistic), Physical (kinesthetic), Logical (mathematical), Social (interpersonal) and Solitary (intrapersonal).
One source offers that Visual people “prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.” Aural people “prefer using sound and music.” Verbal people “prefer using words, both in speech and writing.” Physical people “prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.” Logical people “prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.” Social people “prefer to learn in groups or with other people.” And Solitary people “prefer to work alone and use self-study.” Again, you can see how we might have to combine two or more of these depending on what we’re trying to learn!
Visual learners like pictures and imagery and visual aids to help them understand things, whether diagrams, maps, or graphic depictions of what they’re learning. They like to see things, and need images to retain what they learn. It’s easy to see how visualization exercises could help this type of learning.
Aural learners need sound associations to learn. Musical songs and rhymes help them learn math, history, or science. Music helps them understand the “atmosphere” of the writer and the times being studied. I’m sure we owe Books on Tape to Aural learners. They need to “hear” to understand.
Verbal learners do well through instruction, speaking and debate. This group loves to hear and present, talk and listen, and discuss scenarios and different angles of approach. They do well when they can play act a role, whether it be how they might deal with customers, bosses, and coworkers, or situations they’re learning to handle.
Physical learners want a “hands-on” active approach to whatever they’re exploring. They want to feel it, touch it, manipulate it, and see how it works in “the real world.” This group isn’t satisfied with a theoretical or intellectual approach to something; they want to know how it functions in material ways.
Logical learners want to see the logic to everything, how it came to be and what it implies in the future, and prefer hard answers, facts, and a binary “either-or” approach. They explore systems or structures and how they operate, learning most naturally through making lists, solving puzzles, and figuring out the most orderly approach to any action or project.
Social learners love to hang out with others, sharing insights, opinions, and ways of viewing and doing things. They prefer learning as part of a group, evaluating what’s being learned from many points of view, and are sensitive to how other groups and societies would or wouldn’t approach something the same way.
Solitary learners need time to themselves to sort through what is being learned without being distracted by external things. They learn at their own independent pace, and are very reflective and contemplative. Even if they venture out to gather information from learners in one of these other groups, they still need to quiet time to figure out how information fits into what they’re learning about.
Our Planets are the “Lights” Through Which We Understand All That Is
We begin comparing the findings of education with astrological factors by noting the obvious correlation between the seven learning styles and each of the Seven Sacred Planets of antiquity. There is a Lunar way to learn, a Mercury way to learn, a Venus way to learn, a Solar way to learn, a Mars way to learn, a Jupiter way to learn, and a Saturn way to learn. We all have all these within us, and naturally one or more of these will be stronger than the others, and so become our favored means to learn what we have to learn.
As we get older, while we still may prefer a certain way to learn, we also may come to find that we also enjoy learning other ways. Certainly the mental learning of Mercury is much different than the musical learning of Venus, and the imaginative learning of Jupiter is at times much more fun than learning through the pragmatic organization and disciplines of Saturn!
In terms of our senses and their astrological associations, from antiquity we’ve been told that Touch is ruled by Venus, Hearing is ruled by Saturn, Sight is ruled by Mercury, Smell is ruled by Jupiter, and Taste is ruled by Mars. The Sun and Moon likely were considered the source within us where the sensory information is processed and turned into grist for the mill of Life.
I see the visible planets as parts of us that learn to recognize and apply what we know in the visible parts of life. I take the approach that the 4 outer invisible Spiritual planets, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and TransPluto, are “metacognitive” modes of learning, since they represent the Transpersonal realm where all distinctions of form merge, blend, or synthesize into a global approach.
In part 2, we’ll discuss specific astrological associations with each of the 7 ways to learn has an astrological association, and expand the topic to include each of the 7 types of teaching styles. This is original material, and makes it clear that each of us is a learner who prefers certain ways of learning, and each of us is a teacher who prefers certain ways of teaching. See you in tomorrow’s class!
© Copyright 2019 Robert Wilkinson
(Originally published in Celestial Vibes, issue #4, Sept-Oct 2018)
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